“I had always seen gorilla sculptures done on all fours with that mean posture and attitude. They are not at all like that. Although they do have a formidable look on their faces and sculpture can’t get around that, they are not in the least bit aggressive. They are a passive, kind, shy introverted animal. I designed this piece expressly for a zoo setting. I made a real conscious effort to design the Gorilla so that kids would not fear it and would climb on it and sit on its lap. I wanted it to lie in quiet repose.”

As written about Tundra Swans: Not content to model the magnificent tundra swan floating placidly or with its wings tucked in, Sherry Sander worked to incorporate the swans’ tremendously powerful wings into her final sculptural composition. She stated, “The extended neck of the male swan was critical in achieving a visual balance between the actual volume of the birds and the expanse of their wings. I wanted the swans to appear graceful as well as regal”.

“My studio is built upon the banks of a secluded pond where I have the good fortune to see many varieties of birds and animals. One special day I observed the most beautiful of all waterfowl, the North American Wood Duck. This was a special event as they are not very social and several years may go by without a migration gracing our pond. I was granted a long visit while they rested and preened upon cottonwood deadfall at water’s edge giving me leisure time to develop this sculpture titled Wood Ducks on Still Water.”